"Young Master, when that Zhang fellow was down on his luck, if not for you giving him a chance, how could he be living so comfortably now? During the lawsuit, he showed no regard for past favors. We ought to teach him a lesson."
Qin Zhong's face darkened. "My elder brother is an idiot who's always stirring up trouble. Worse, he's useless. When things go wrong, he just expects the family to clean up his mess. My uncle, after spending so much time with him, has also become a fool. Now they've both been outmaneuvered."
"During the lawsuit, he kept pestering Father to have my sister whisper in the magistrate's ear. We put in a good word, and the magistrate agreed to help. But they ended up kicking an iron plate. The magistrate got reprimanded by the prefect and is now in big trouble himself. In his anger, he blamed our family, and we've had to send no small amount of silver to smooth things over."
"My uncle's shops were forcibly closed, and we've had to spend over a thousand taels to appease the magistrate. If I keep bailing out my uncle and brother, the Qin family will be ruined sooner or later."
The servant asked, "So we're letting the lawsuit go?"
"The road is long. The Zhang family's business is encroaching on ours. Even if it weren't for my uncle and brother, I'd still keep a close eye on them for the sake of our family's interests."
"Young Master is wise."
Xu He watched the retreating figures, knowing the feud with the Qin family wouldn't be resolved with a few words. "Qin Zhong seems interested in buying the mountain too. Let's settle this quickly to avoid complications."
Zhang Fangyuan nodded. "Ruili likes this one, and it's close to our village. Let's finalize it."
The county government runner who'd been showing them the mountains finally relaxed upon hearing the decision. Selling the mountain meant one less task, and the court would even give him a small reward. Plus, merchant buyers were always generous, treating him to good food and drink and slipping him some silver for his troubles.
The deal was struck. Zhang Fangyuan handed over a stack of silver notes in exchange for the mountain deed, then went to the county government to complete the formalities.
The magistrate, ever the pragmatist, acted as if the lawsuit had never happened. He treated Zhang Fangyuan with the same, with courtesy and warmth as before. Naturally Zhang Fangyuan knew the reason, but he didn't point it out. Life had to go on, and making an enemy of the government would only make future dealings harder.
By the time the mountain purchase was fully processed, it was already the eleventh month.
The weather grew colder by the day. Charcoal braziers were brought into the house, and with winter offering few amusements, Ruili found himself staying indoors more often. The wind howled outside, turning his cheeks red after just a short stroll, so even he was a lover of outings, he rarely ventured out.
Instead, he lounged on the daybed, flipping through popular novels from the city. But after a while, even those grew tiresome.
Most were clichéd romances: penniless scholars and wealthy maidens swearing undying love, or noble ladies eloping with poor youths... He tossed the books aside, finding the supernatural tales far more intriguing.
"Still reading novels?" Ruijin entered the room to find books scattered everywhere. He picked them up and stacked them neatly. "Surprising you've stayed indoors this long."
"What else is there to do?" Ruili closed the book in his hands. "Why are you here instead of the study?"
"The teacher has returned from his trip. School will likely resume tomorrow."
"What?!"
The terrible news made Ruili bolt upright. "The teacher's back?!"
"Now you won't be bored."
Ruili groaned. "I'd rather be bored."
"Ah, you're both here. Perfect." Xu He walked in with two sets of winter clothes. "Try these on, see if they fit."
"This winter is cold, so I made them extra thick. You won't freeze at school."
Ruili slipped his arms into the sleeves, finding solace only in the thought that snow might soon fall, offering at least some scenery to enjoy.
"Since when do you wear a sachet? I thought you didn't like such things."
While a maid fastened his new belt, Ruili glanced over at his brother's waist, where a small embroidered sachet now hung beside the matching jade pendants they both wore.
"Did you make this?" Xu He pinched the sachet, turning to Ruili.
Ruili was about to say he had no such skills when he caught his brother's warning look. "Yeah! I've been so bored lately, I made one for Brother."
"It's lovely. Having Xing ge'er teach you needlework was a good idea." Xu He examined the sachet with satisfaction. "Why didn't you make one for yourself?"
"I'm already fragrant enough. No need."
Only stinky men need sachets, he thought, shooting Ruijin a sidelong glare.
"These clothes fit perfectly." Xu He patted Ruijin's back. "You've grown so much. Good thing I didn't use last year's measurements."
"Thanks, Little Dad."
The two thanked him in unison.
"Alright, I'll go see if your Dad's back. You two carry on."
Once Xu He left, Ruili sniffed at Ruijin like a curious puppy. "Xing ge'er made this!"
"Don't talk nonsense." Ruijin pushed his head away and adjusted the sachet.
"Trying to fool me? Xing ge'er's courtyard has winter plum blossoms." Ruili huffed. "He made one for you but not me!"
"He said it's to thank me for teaching him to ride."
Ruili scoffed. "Xing ge'er's too polite. You didn't even teach him properly, just took him around twice and he still made you a sachet."
Then he smirked. "But then again, only people who aren't close bother with such formalities. It's only right he gave you one."
Ruijin's brow twitched. "The three of us met at the same time. How are we not close?"
"People have hierarchies, and relationships have degrees of intimacy." Ruili widened his eyes. "Xing ge'er and I talk every day, even share a pillow. You don't. Not only are you not close, you're practically strangers!"
Ruijin flicked his sleeve and turned to leave. "The teacher assigned eight essays. Good luck."
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Ruili's triumphant expression vanished as he scrambled after his brother, his shoes only half on. "Fine, fine! You're close! You're the closest, okay?!"
Thanks for the update!!!
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